Breaking news – The drama of where Naseem Shah will end up in PSL 9 has finally concluded. The premier fast bowler has joined Islamabad United for the 9th season of HBL PSL. Islamabad United brokered a successful trade with Quetta Gladiators. They got Naseem Shah for Abrar Ahmad, the emerging spin bowler for the Pakistan Cricket Team. This is Islamabad’s second biggest trade since they got Imad Wasim for Hasan Ali. Also, Mohammad Wasim Jnr moved to the Gladiators along with Abrar Ahmad.
Read: Islamabad United Squad 2024 – PSL 9 [CONFIRMED]
Earlier rumours
Rumors started when the news emerged that Naseem had parted ways with Quetta Gladiators. Ever since Naseem started his PSL career, he has represented the Gladiators. However, the young fast bowler decided it was a good time to say goodbye. Rumours were that Quetta was trading him with some other player. But the franchise was quick to disregard these rumours. It seems like those rumours were true.
Read: PSL Local Players List 2024 – Latest Draft Update
Now that a bowler like Naseem Shah was available, the franchises quickly tried to broker a deal with him. Some analysts criticized the teams, saying this goes against the draft process. What use is the draft if the teams grab players like this outside of the PSL structure?
Check: PSL Draft 2024 – PSL 9 Players List
Teams like United, Zalmi, and the Sultans were eager to get the player in the camp. However, Naseem dropped the scene with his tweet.
Continue reading to know more about it.
Naseem’s tweet
Shadab Khan tweeted “intezaar”, which translates to “wait.” This was a very vague tweet. However, Naseem’s reply to it cleared everything.
Obviously, this drama was made before any official announcement from PSL’s social media team. But the fans were quick to understand the context. The film was reaching its climax. Naseem Shah, one of the most promising fast bowlers in the current times, was joining Islamabad United. This is the biggest trade so far. But what did the fans have to say about it?
Fan’s reactions
The fans had mixed reactions. The Gladiator fans are not happy about this trade. On the other hand, the United fans are basking in the glory of the primary win in this trade war. Yes, this draft has turned into a trade war even before it happened.
Arman is salty about this change. Come on, Arman, buck up, man.
Umair thinks it is a win-win situation for both teams.
The united fans are welcoming the new player into their camp
Will he be able to perform well?
However, the question remains. Will Naseem be able to perform well? He recently completed his rehab after shoulder surgery in the UK. Naseem couldn’t play in the World Cup after he suffered an injury during the Asia Cup. This caused a lot of problems for the Pakistan team in the tournament.
There is no doubt about his talents. However, you still require a lot of time before you are the same player you were before the injury. We saw that with Kane Willamson, who could only perform in the later stages of the Cricket World Cup 2023. Tim Southee was ineffective for the most part. Shaheen Afridi suffered as well.
Let’s see whether this trade will be fruitful for the Islamabad team.
Conclusion
This PSL season is going to be a lot more exciting. There are a lot more changes in the team structure. United have given up on Wasim and Abrar, who are also pretty good players in their own right. Earlier, they also traded Hasan Ali for Imad Wasim.
Will this equation bring any good results for the team? Let’s find it out in PSL 9!